From The Inside
by sabaku-no-ketsueki
Summary: Akatsuki is slowly falling apart, but they're still frighteningly close to their goal. There's only one thing left in their way: Naruto. NaruHina IN PROGRESS!
1. Famous Last Words

_**So, this is another fanficion from me. Wow, who woulda thought...anyways, this is probably the first of many verisons, so, ENJOY:)**_

* * *

From The Inside

_Chapter One:  
Famous Last Words_

"So, what are we doing again?"

Kakashi sighed as he explained, yet again, their mission to Naruto.

"We're going to a market north from the Village to pick some extra supplies for the Hokage. It'll only take about a day, so stop whining!"

Naruto frowned. "And it took all four of us to do _that?"_

Kakashi shrugged. "Apparently" he answered.

"It _is _kind of weird" Sakura spoke up. "I mean, Naruto and I could have handled it on our own." She thought about that for a minute. "Then again, maybe it is a good thing we have Sai, in case Naruto screws it up….."

"WHAT?!" Naruto screamed. "What the hell does that mean?!"

"You know exactly what it means!" Sakura snapped. "It means we need someone else on this team who's _capable."_

"Aw, come on! I'm _capable_! I can hold my own just as well as _he _can!" As if looking for reassurance, Naruto shot a look at Sai, who, smartly, stayed out of it.

Sakura smirked. She knew very well that Naruto could hold his own in any fight, but she wasn't about to let him know that. It was just too easy to get a rise out of him.

Kakashi just shook his head in exasperation. _There they go again, _he thought.

But he did know why the Hokage had sent so many ninja for a simple mission. As much as she would like to, Tsunade knew she couldn't keep Naruto from the outside world, even if it was a world with Akatsuki. These days, whenever he went on a mission, even a simple one, he would have as much back up as the Village could afford to send---which usually consisted of Kakashi, Sakura and Sai.

Of course, Naruto was never told this. Kakashi knew that if Naruto ever found out, they would never hear the end of it.

Naruto sighed. "I just wish we could have gotten a more exciting mission….."

"Yeah, yeah" Kakashi said, only half listening.

They had been traveling for a while, so when Kakashi spotted a large, grassy clearing, he suggested they rest for a bit.

They all stopped to take in their surroundings. They stood in the clearing, with the thick, dark forest all around them. The patted down grass and the trees making a circle around it gave it a meadow-like feel. It was the first time in a while the group had seen the sun shine so clearly, illuminating the many types of flowers and the four shinobi.

"Isn't this a little……exposed?" Sai commented, looking around warily.

"Oh, come on, Sai! Loosen up!" Sakura laughed as she examined the different varieties of wildflowers. "Ino would know what these are….."She muttered to herself.

Naruto dropped his bag on the ground and threw himself into the grass. He breathed out a sigh of pleasure. "This sure is a nice spot." He smiled. "We should stop here on the way back, too!"

Sai was still tense. His instincts told him to run, to find a more secure area. Hanging out in an open field with a boy half the world was looking for…..sure, great idea. But he did not voice his concerns.

After about ten minutes of this, Kakashi sighed and stood up. "Okay, time to get back on the road" he announced. When neither Sakura nor Naruto made any move to leave, Kakashi said, a little louder this time, "let's go!!!" There was general disappointment between them, but Sai was relieved, although he didn't express it. As everyone scrambled to pack up there stuff and leave, nobody seem to notice the shadow following them close behind.

* * *

It was about an hour after the clearing when Sai noticed it. He only caught glimpses of it, a leaf that fell here, and small shadow there. Anyone else might have blamed it on the wind, or the many animals that roamed the forest. But Sai knew better. 

Someone was following them.

Someone trained to follow prey without being noticed, even by the most elite shinobi.

Someone dangerous.

* * *

The shadow noticed the small changes in the dark haired boy's behavior. He moved a little quicker, and he had an anxious air about him. He kept looking towards random trees, behind him, and then back to the silver haired jonin. It was odd, even for someone on the lookout for pursuers. 

The shadow cursed mentally.

He'd been spotted.

But how? Even the famous jonin, Hatake Kakashi, hadn't noticed him! How could a mere child have noticed his presence?

He smirked. He, of all people, shouldn't underestimated young ninjas. After all, he himself had been an ANBU Black Ops squad commander at a young age.

* * *

Kakashi also noticed Sai's odd behavior. _Have we been followed? _He thought. 

No sooner had the though crossed his mind when a kunai streaked past his face, missing him by mere inches, imbedding itself in a nearby tree.

Everybody stopped, and stared at the knife. "What the hell?" Naruto said.

Then, they heard a calm, quiet voice behind them.

"It's been a while, Kakashi-san, Naruto-kun."

They all turned simultaneously, and watched the tall, dark figure appear from shadows of the trees. His red eyes seem to dance in the little sunlight there was in the dense forest. A black cloak hid his figure, but his likeness to Sasuke was definite.

Sakura's fists clenched. "Uchiha Itachi," she hissed.

Itachi ignored her, and turned his attention towards Sai. "I'm quite surprised you noticed me here," he said. "You're not a mere Chunin, are you?"

Sai said nothing, but tensed up a little.

"No matter. I'm not here for you." Itachi then moved his gaze to Naruto, who immediately looked down towards his feet.

"I see you have been educated on how to fight the Sharingan." Itachi mused. "Well, then…"

Kakashi lifted his headband off of his own Sharingan in time to see Itachi---with such speed that he could barely keep up with---appear behind Sai without warning, kunai poised to kill. Sai's reaction was automatic; he turned at the last second and lifted his own kunai to block Itachi's.

"Sai!" Kakashi yelled. "Don't look in his eyes!"

Too late. Sai locked eyes with Itachi. There was a stressed silence, and then, a few seconds later, he fell to the ground in a heap.

"Shit!" Kakashi, kunai drawn, lunged at Itachi. He swung his kunai, and stabbed him in the stomach. Itachi faltered for a moment, and then disappeared. "A shadow clone?" Kakashi muttered. He then heard Sakura let out a small gasp behind him.

He whipped around to see Itachi behind Sakura, with one arm around her neck, and his other hand held a kunai to her throat.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto reached for his own weapon, until Itachi brought the knife a little closer to Sakura's flesh. Naruto cursed and moved his hand away from his holster.

"Now, now, Naruto-kun," Itachi said calmly, as if he was talking to a misbehaving child. "I'm we can work out some sort of deal, hm?"

Naruto just glared at him, all strategies about fighting the Sharingan forgotten. "It's me you want, right?" he growled.

"Indeed." Itachi said. He closed his eyes, and Naruto and Kakashi automatically looked down. Itachi smirked. "I would rather not kill the girl," he said slowly. "It would save so much time if you just came with me, Naruto-kun."

Naruto said nothing, startled. Then his gaze softened, and he looked at Sakura. "Just don't hurt her," he pleaded.

Sakura looked horrified, and Itachi smiled a little. "Good, good.

"Now, Naruto-kun, I want you to look at me"

Naruto didn't move. Although he had never experienced Tsukuyomi first-hand, he'd heard plenty of stories. And especially after seeing what happened to Sai, Naruto was in no mood to surrender to the Sharingan.

Itachi brought the kunai even closer to Sakura's neck, and a thin line of blood started to form. "I thought you didn't want me to hurt her. I said look at me, Naruto-kun!"

_For Sakura-chan._ Reluctantly, Naruto looked up, into the Mangekyo Sharingan.

* * *

Sakura could only stare as Naruto looked up from the ground at Itachi. 

Naruto's eyes widened, horrified, like he was watching an extremely bloody battle. More than once did he reached out his hand, as if to warn someone. Sakura couldn't help but wonder what Itachi made him see.

It took about a minute---much longer than it had with Sai---before Naruto's eyes fluttered closed and he fell. Itachi roughly pushed Sakura aside and caught Naruto before he touched the ground.

Itachi grabbed Naruto by his stomach and swung him over his shoulder. At this point, his breath in short, ragged gasps. He then made a few hand signs and looked at Kakashi.

"Until next time, Kakashi-san."

A cloud of smoke erupted around him, and when it cleared, both Naruto and Itachi disappeared.

* * *

**Anyways, hope you liked it! **

**Reviews appreciated! Constructive criticism encouraged!**

**So, updates will be pretty slow, unless I know there are people out there who want me to update faster. The more reviews, the faster updates happen!**

**So, basically, it's all up to you, the reader! (Assuming I get any readers )**

**I don't expect much, as long as know there is at least one person out there who is following this story, I will update a little faster! ( other than you, kaki-kitsune! But thanks for reading:)**

**_SNK_**

****


	2. Wake

**_Warning!!! Manga Spoilers Ahead!_**

**_Sorry, I totally forgot to put this on the first chapter :) Anyways, even if you haven't been keeping up with the manga, it's ok! The story should still make sense!_**

* * *

_Chapter Two_

_Wake_

Sakura just stared at the spot Itachi had disappeared from, as if looking at it long enough would bring Naruto back. _No, _she thought. _No!_ _He can't be captured that easily!_

Slowly, she got up from the spot she had been thrown to. She calmly jumped from the branches onto the ground, where Kakashi was leaning over Sai's unconscious form. Sakura simply walked by them to a nearby tree. Kakashi watched warily as she brought her fist back, which was swirling with chakra, and punched it.

The tree cracked all the way through at the point where Sakura's fist made contact. It dislodged itself from the ground and flew into the tree behind it, cracking that one in half, and hitting yet another tree directly behind it. By the time gravity caught up with them, at least twenty trees had been pulled from the ground, and were lying on their side, creating a huge gap in the forest.

Kakashi watched as Sakura destroyed half the forest---in one punch---, and then fell to her knees. Her shoulders shook as she sobbed, the tears flowing uncontrollably. After a few minutes, he stood up and walked towards her. He knelt down and put his hand on her shoulder. "Come on, Sakura," he said gently.

Sakura turned and gazed into her former sensei's face. His eyes---both of them--- were clouded with the emotions she felt: sadness, anger, grief.

She quickly wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and stood up. "We're going after them." It wasn't a question. Her voice shook a little, and she was surprised when Kakashi shook his head.

"But, Naruto……!" She started to protest, but Kakashi grabbed both her shoulders looked at her sternly.

"Think, Sakura!" he said fiercely. "What chance would we have of finding Naruto now? First of all, we have no idea where the Akatsuki are at the moment. They have defiantly relocated since the incident with Gaara!

"Second, it would be just you and me, against all of Akatsuki!" _Or at least, what's left of them, _Kakashi thought. "Do you honestly think we can beat them all?

"Finally, what about Sai?" Kakashi gestured to Sai's unconscious body. "Unless you know medical Ninjutsu of the mind, he won't last very long! Are you willing to let him die?"

Sakura looked away, ashamed. Of course he was right. Even if they went after Naruto and somehow found him, they would probably only end up getting themselves killed.

"Hey," Kakashi said gently. Sakura looked up. The expression on his face softened. "I know you want to help him now. I do too. But there are other things that need attending." He looked at Sai again. "Your teammate, for example."

Sakura nodded.

Kakashi dropped his hands from her shoulders and looked at her kindly. "We'll find him. We'll bring him back." He put his hand under her chin. "Have faith."

_Faith won't save Naruto, _Sakura thought. But she knew Kakashi was only trying to comfort her, so she said nothing.

Kakashi dropped his hand and turned towards Sai. "Guess we better see the extent of the damage."

Sakura just nodded again, and dropped down to examine Sai. Even when he was unconscious, his face held no expression; no pain, no fear, nothing. _He looks dead, _Sakura thought, and immediately checked his pulse to make sure he wasn't.

Sakura stood up. "We need to take him to Tsunade-sama."

Kakashi nodded. He picked up Sai, and they set off back to Konoha.

* * *

Itachi arrived in front of the entrance to their latest headquarters: a large cave, similar to their last one, only with specially made rooms to act as prison cells. Itachi had cast a high level Genjutsu around it to make it look like part of the forest that surrounded their center of operations. 

Itachi's breathing was labored; he was still fighting for breath when raised his ring to prove it was really him. He then proceeded to walk through a tree---or at least, that's what it would look like to a passer by.

Kisame was leaning against the wall, waiting, as Itachi slipped through the barrier. He grinned. "Well, well" Kisame said. "It seems you were able to get the Jinchūriki?"

Itachi said nothing, still winded from the battle.

Kisame noticed Itachi's condition and smirked again. "You overused your eyes again, didn't you?"

Itachi just stood their, panting.

Kisame scoffed. "Figures."

Just then, something buzzed and crackled beside them. Itachi and Kisame turned to see the digital outline of their leader, Pain, appear before them. All around him, the rest of their team materialized, using the same astral projection.

"Hey, you got him?" Tobi was the first to break the silence. "Awesome!" he squealed happily.

Kisame sighed. Tobi still hadn't grasped the whole "evil organization" thing.

"So," Tobi continued, undaunted by Kisame's obvious disapproval. "When are we gonna do the extraction thing?"

Again, Kisame sighed.

"Now" their leader replied simply.

"Now?" Kisame exclaimed. "But we don't have enough people left! We need six ring bearers in order to extract a beast of such power!"

Wordlessly, Pain pointed to Tobi.

"WHAT?!" Kisame yelled. "He doesn't know--"

"Kisame!" Itachi cut him off. "Calm yourself."

Kisame fell silent, still fuming.

"Well then," Pain disappeared for a moment, and then his tall form appeared on the hand of the statue. "If we are done fighting, shall we begin?"

The rest quickly followed suit, and soon, the six remaining Akatsuki members were on the stony hands of the statue.

They instantly made the appropriate hand sign, and Kisame was surprised to see that Tobi actually knew what he was doing.

Naruto was lifted off the ground, and became surrounded by a blue aura. His eyes snapped open, and he opened his mouth, as if to scream, but no sound came. Then, the aura surrounding him slowly began to turn red.

* * *

Naruto hadn't been asleep. Sleep was too peaceful a word to describe what was happening in his mind. But he was pulled away from those thoughts and forced to take in his current situation. He had no idea where he was, or what had happened the past few hours. He was only aware of the pain. It took over any and all thoughts he might have had. He tried to cry out, but no sound came. He couldn't feel the ground, but he felt heavy. He felt like someone had stuck their hand down his throat, into his stomach, and was now rummaging around in his soul, screwing up his insides. And it _hurt._ But Naruto couldn't move. He couldn't turn away from the dark presence that held him. 

Then, he was suddenly on his knees, in ankle deep water. He knelt before an all-too familiar gate, with the sign _Seal _beside the tall, metal bars. There was no light to speak off, only a strange glow that bathed everything in a yellowish glare.

Naruto slowly got to his feet, and saw a large, furry face staring back at him.

"**Wow," **it said simply. "**How did you mange to get yourself in this shit?**"

The Kyuubi, of course. "I thought I blocked you from the outside world."

The Kyuubi snorted---or at least, as close as a giant demon fox can get to snorting. "**You wish**"

"Yeah, I do" Naruto muttered. "So, what's going on?"

"**Ah,**" The nine-tails said. "**It seems those Akatsuki idiots are finally trying to extract my power from the vessel.**" It looked at Naruto. "**Namely, you.**"

Naruto shook his head, trying to rearrange his thoughts. "But…when….how...?"

The demon chuckled. "**Of course you don't remember.**" It eyed Naruto wickedly. "**But that doesn't really matter right now. I just need to **_**talk **_**to them.**"

"What……?" Before he could even think about moving, a long string of red chakra came flying between the bars, and struck Naruto full in the chest.

* * *

The shinobi watched as the blue aura surrounding Naruto slowly turned in a purplish colour, then orange, and then stopped when it was fully red. 

"Um…." Tobi said warily. "Is this normal?"

Just then, Naruto's eyes and mouth snapped shut again. He lifted his head and look at the person who happened to be directly in front of him; Itachi.

Itachi noticed how Naruto's appearance had changed. His eyes were no longer blue, but red, and the faint whisker marks on his cheeks became darker and more visible. Itachi could see the tips of what had to be fangs sprouting out of his mouth.

"**So,**" Naruto said, his voice distorted. "**Uchiha Itachi, eh?**"

"What the….." Kisame just stared at Naruto, taking in the sudden change in his features.

"Hm…" Pain said, mildly interested. "It seems the demon is trying to communicate with us."

"**What do mean, 'trying?'**" The Kyuubi yelled, insulted. "**I **_**am **_**communicating with you, you dumbass!**"

Pain was speechless. Never had anyone, or anything, for that matter, spoken to him like that. It was rather shocking.

"**Now, I want you all to listen closely.**" The fox surveyed each one of the Akatsuki individually. "**I don't mind if you want to take me out of this damn vessel. It would be good to get back into the outside world.**"

It chuckled at their startled expressions. "**Oh yes, I know **_**exactly **_**what's going on.**

"**And I **_**do **_**mind if you intend to use my power for your own twisted desires. You don't seem to realize my strengh. Even in this weak body, I could destroy this prison and all of you with it. **"

Kisame laughed. "Whatever." he said. "Can we just get back to the extraction?"

Suddenly, a line of red chakra---that looked suspiciously like a tail--- shot out at Kisame, hitting him in the stomach. He let out a small gasp of surprise--and pain--- and was thrown off the statue. He landed a few feet away in a heap, where he lay unmoving.

The Kyuubi smirked---a horrible, twisted smile that made his face even more malicious. "**I could have killed him easily. Do you now understand just what you punks are messing with?**"

Then, the chakra surrounding Naruto turned back to its normal blue, and the aura abruptly faded. Naruto fell to the ground, and when Itachi examined his face, he saw that all traces of the fox had disappeared.

There was a stunned silence, until Tobi whistled. "So, I'm guessing that's not normal?"

* * *

**Yeah! Chapter 2! **

**Anyways, updates will probably still be slow, because of school. **

**Also, the leader of Akatsuki: the manga says his name is spelled Pain, while wikipedia says it's Pein. **

**I'm gonna go with the manga, thank you.**

**Hmm...pairings? I don't know yet...I might be able to fit one in...**

**Yes, I know Tobi isn't _that _light-hearted in the manga, but I thought, whatever. And he's just lovable, evil Tobi. Yay!**

**And Kisame hates Tobi here...I don't know why, he just doesn't like him.**

**YAY! REVIEWS! Not a lot...but I don't care! I love you guys!**

**Wow, I have lots to say. Anyways, reviews appreciated! Constructive criticism encouraged!**

**Remember, the more the reviews, the FASTER THE UPDATES:)**

**_SNK_**


	3. Kidding Ourselves

**_Hey guys! Sorry about the rather long wait, blame school, haha..._**

**_Anyways, it turns out that the leader of Akatsuki: Pein, not Pain. So, I'm going to change it. I know, I should've checked before! Oh well, it must be the scanlation I'm reading..._**

**_Sorry it's rather short...ah well, this is basically the set up for chapter 4, which will be much more exciting!_**

* * *

_Chapter Three:_

_Kidding Ourselves_

The nine-tails chuckled as it withdrew its chakra from Naruto. "**Wasn't that fun?**" it asked.

Naruto said nothing, still in a state of shock after being possessed.

The demon laughed again. "**Well, **_**I **_**thought it was fun**."

Suddenly, the iron bars and the corridor disappeared, only to be replaced once again by darkness.

Naruto hit the ground hard, being dragged back to reality. He still couldn't move. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't even open his eyes to see where he was.

He thought back to what had just happened; after the Kyuubi had taken over his body…….he couldn't remember what had happened. It was just a blank.

He heard a faint mummer of voices, but he couldn't concentrate on what they were saying. Naruto finally gave up, and felt his consciousness leave him as he slipped back into the shadows.

* * *

"Well, now" Pein was the first to recover. "Wasn't that interesting?" 

"Oh, yeah!" Tobi yelled. "VERY interesting!" He looked back at Kisame's unmoving form and chuckled quietly.

"So, it seems we have some work to do if we hope to safely extract the nine-tails." Pein looked at Kisame. "Itachi" he said. He jerked his head in Kisame's direction. "Go make sure he isn't dead."

Itachi obediently jumped to the floor, next to Kisame, where he checked his pulse and his breathing.

"He's alive." Itachi reported, without looking up. "Just unconscious."

"Good." Pein looked down at Naruto, who lay on the other side of the statue, also unconscious.

He surveyed the group. "This will take longer than originally planned," he announced. "Certain……._measures_ must be taken to ensure this operation is a success."

Itachi rejoined them on the statue, leaving Kisame on the floor. "Measures?" he repeated.

"Yes." Pein looked at Naruto again. "The Kyuubi is still much too strong. Extracting it now would surely mean a painful death for all of us.

"Therefore, we must weaken the vessel, in order to weaken the demon." Pein turned his gaze to Itachi. "I will entrust that job to Kisame. When he wakes up, tell him that, as long as he doesn't kill the boy, anything goes."

"_If _he wakes up" Tobi said hopefully.

"Another factor we must consider" he continued, ignoring Tobi's crude remark, "is the boy's hold on the Kyuubi. Even with its power at a level we can manage, if the Jinchūriki's will is too strong, we won't ever get it out of him. I trust you can fix that, Itachi?"

Pein looked at Itachi sternly. "Just don't overuse your eyes."

"But," Zetsu said, speaking up for the first time, "wouldn't it be easier to simply break the seal?"

"No!" Pein said sharply. "We must be able to move the Kyuubi into the statue with the seal still intact. If the seal was ever broken, the nine-tails would break loose at its full power! If that ever happened, the boy would die, and we would have no means of re-sealing it! It would kill all of us! Weren't you listening?"

"Well, there's no need to be snippy about it." Zetsu's darker half sniffed.

* * *

Sakura's fist hit the desk so hard that it split down the middle. "What do mean, we're not going?!" she screamed. 

Tsunade scowled at the broken desk. "That was the desk used by the Shodai, you know."

Sakura ignored that. "They've got Naruto! Right now! They're going to……" she couldn't bring herself to say it. She thought back to what happened to Gaara, and shuddered. "We don't have much time! We need to send a team out NOW!!"

Tsunade stood up angrily. "Last time I checked, Sakura, _I _was the Hokage of this village!"

Sakura said nothing, still fuming.

Tsunade sighed and turned to look at Sakura. "I know how worried you are about him." she said, her voice becoming gentle. "I am too."

Sakura still kept silent, this time out of shock at the Fifth's words.

Tsunade smiled sadly. "I'm sure there isn't a person he's met who hasn't been affected by him.

"I'm sorry, Sakura. But for the Hokage, the village always comes first, no matter what my personal feelings may be. Most of the active shinobi are out on missions of their own. I just can't afford to send out enough ninjas to help Naruto, and still protect the village."

Sakura looked away, and noticed for the first time that Shizune, holding Tonton, had entered the room. Judging by the shocked look on her face, she had just found out about Naruto.

"Don't worry, Sakura" Tsunade put a hand on her shoulder. "He's stronger than you give him credit for."

_She sounds like Kakashi, _Sakura thought. _Why can't we do anything for Naruto, when he needs us most?_

She turned away, realizing that she wasn't going to get anywhere here.

Tsunade watched as Sakura walked out the door, not saying a word. When she was sure she was far enough away, Tsunade sank into her chair, and put her head in her hands. She looked over a Shizune, the horrified expression still etched on her face.

"Am I doing the right thing?" Tsunade said quietly.

This seemed to snap Shizune out of her trance, and she looked over at the Hokage.

"I mean, putting the Village before Naruto?" she continued, her voice shaking a bit.

Shizune sighed sadly. "The decisions of the Hokage are tough, aren't they? Besides, you said so yourself: Naruto can hold his ground. You made the right decision."

Tsunade rested her head on her arms. "Then why does it feel so wrong?"

* * *

**If you have me on your story alert lists (LOVE YOU GUYS!:) , then sorry if you get two emails... in the excitement of adding a new chapter, I forgot to edit! So, yeah, I'll try not to do that next time!**

**Shodai: First Hokage**

**yeah...that's the extent of my japanese knowledge...:P**

**Anyways, reviews appreicated! Constructive criticism encouraged!**

**_SNK_**


	4. Session

**_Yay! Chapter 4! I had lots of insperation for a change..._**

**_Disclaimer (which I keep forgetting): Everything belongs to Kishimoto, NOT ME!_**

* * *

_Chapter Four_

_Session_

A lone figure strode down the dusty road, his dark outline barely visible in the night. The tall buildings that lined the streets were unusually quiet, as if they had been long ago abandoned. The moon shone dimly, occasionally illuminating the cracked red and white symbols on the brick walls. He walked casually by the mangled corpse lying on the side of the street; silver hair matted with dirt and blood, glasses askew, his face disfigured beyond recognition. The headband he once so proudly wore on his forehead lay just a few feet away, torn to the point where the sound village symbol was just another scrape on the metal.

But he did not stop. He didn't even glance back as he walked towards the man at the end of the street, his pale skin a beacon in the shadows, his sinister features twisted in a smirk as he watched the boy come towards him.

Finally they met, where he stopped and turned around. The man raised a white hand and placed it on the boy's shoulder. There they stood for the longest time, before the boy lifted his hands behind his head, under his hair. He then untied his headband, carefully taking it off from underneath his black bangs, and threw it in front of him, into the dirt of the street, the Konoha symbol scratched out with a single line.

And then he smiled. Not the smirk that everyone had become accustomed to seeing, and yet it was not malevolent, either. It was a rare, wholesome smile that brightened his eyes, and lit up his usually somber face.

Then they both turned: the young boy, and the pale faced man. The Uchiha symbol on his blue shirt seemed to glow, though the moonlight was fading. They continued to walk down the road, until they were both lost to the darkness.

Naruto could stand it no longer.

"Sasuke!" he cried out, breaking from his dream.

Naruto looked around wildly before reality set in. But still, he searched the room, as if looking enough would make his surroundings change.

He was in an Akatsuki prison cell, where he spent all of his time these days. The room was rectangular, made of stone instead of brick. The floor---if you could call it that---was dusty and covered in dirt. There was no lamp, or even a candle, so Naruto spent most of the time trapped in darkness. He couldn't tell how much time had passed; there was no window to let him know when the day ended and the night began. Had he here for a day, a week, a month? Time meant nothing to him.

Naruto shook his head to rid himself of the remnants of his dream. He'd been having more and more of them lately. Usually they involved the same thing; Sasuke, leaving the Village, Sakura's face as she learned she'd never see him again, and sometimes, every now and then, he would even dream of Hinata, for reasons he couldn't understand.

After his "talk" with the Kyuubi, Naruto woke up in this room. No sooner did the cobwebs clear from his head did Kisame come in, looking angry and delighted at the same time, with Itachi following behind.

That's when the routine began to form. Kisame would go first, usually using Samehada, but sometimes switching to basic kunai knives. Either way, as long as the blood flowed---which it always did--- Kisame would be satisfied. Itachi would stand off to the side, and often had to intervene when Kisame got too bloodthirsty. "We're _not_ supposed to kill him, remember?"

Once Kisame was sure he had beaten Naruto hard enough, Itachi would occasionally do his part---though it was happening much more often.

After his first few visits to Tsukuyomi---"sessions", Kisame called them---Naruto began having the bizarre dreams, which became more vivid each time. He was near the breaking point; he wasn't sure if he could handle both the Mangekyo _and _the after effects.

Just then, the door creaked open, and a small figure poked his head in. "Oh good! You're awake!" he exclaimed, coming into the room with a small tray of food. Naruto wasn't sure why they were feeding him, even if it was only on rare occasions.

He groaned internally as he realized who it was. They always had the same person bring in the food, and he was always annoyingly happy. At first, Naruto found his cheerfulness inspiring, but now it was just irritating.

And he never saw his face. He always had an orange, swirling mask on, with one unusually placed hole for the eye. Naruto often wondered how he could see out of it.

He thought back: what did he say his name was? Naruto didn't really care, but it was something to distract himself from the thoughts that rolled around in his head.

Naruto was still trying to remember his name when the boy spoke. "So," he said. "How are you today?"

Naruto stared up at him in disbelief.

"Right, right, sorry." The boy shifted his weight from foot to foot awkwardly. "Um……." he was obviously trying to make small talk. _Why does he even bother? _Naruto thought, puzzled.

Suddenly, there was a loud bang on the steel door. "Tobi?" an angry voice called. "What the hell are you still doing in there?"

Tobi sighed. "Well, I guess I better go." With one last glance at Naruto, Tobi set the tray down, turned swiftly, and went to the door. As he opened it, Naruto heard the same angry voice yelling at him. "What the hell are you trying to do, make _friends _with him?!"

"Calm down, Kisame….." Tobi shut the door behind him, and the rest of the conversation was lost.

Naruto crawled quickly to the food Tobi had left, the chains on his ankles and wrists crashing together the whole way. As usual, the food was spars, and rather stale, but Naruto ate it all, unaware of how hungry he was.

When he finished, he leaned against the wall and stared blankly at the ceiling. He was tired, more mentally than physically. All he wanted to do was roll over and sleep, but he shied away from it. He did not want to give into the dreams that tortured him.

He closed his eyes and breathed in deeply---and instantly regretted it. His chest burned, and it made him cough violently. He realized, with alarm, that he was coughing up blood.

When his episode was finally over, he made a mental note not to do that again.

The minutes passed, and the door opened again. This time, though, it was Kisame who came in.

"So, you _are _awake." Kisame smiled wickedly. He pulled out Samehada. "Time for some more fun!"

"I'm so excited." Naruto replied dryly.

Before he could even move, Kisame had appeared in front of Naruto and slashed Samehada through his left shoulder. Naruto cried out in surprise and fell backwards, clutching his latest injury.

"Now, now," Kisame's smirk never faltered. "Have you already forgotten what we said about talking back?"

Naruto just scowled back, saying nothing.

But then he realized---with some relief---that Itachi wasn't with him this time. Maybe Naruto would actually be able to sleep that night.

He saw Kisame advancing, Samehada a bleached warning sign in the darkness. He sighed quietly and readied himself for yet another violent night.

* * *

**Woo! Chapter 4!**

**Anyways, guys, I really appreciate the reviews... I know there are those of you who only read and don't review! I would REALLY like it if everyone gave me their honest opinion!**

**Anyways, in other news, updates will be rather slow due to school...sorry**

**Reviews appreicated! Constructive criticism encouraged!**

**_SNK_**


	5. White Shadows

**_Disclaimer: If I owned it, I wouldn't be writing fanfiction, would I? _**

* * *

_Chapter Five_

_White Shadows_

Kisame shut the large metal door, unsatisfied with the night's events. He could see Naruto out of the corner of his eye, lying on the dirt floor, surrounded by blood, unconscious.

He closed the door completely, placed Samehada next to the cell, and went down one of their many hallways. He walked aimlessly for a time, until he stopped dead in front of a worn wooden door.

A small smile crossed his lips. _Here _was the answer to his problem.

* * *

Sakura walked down the bleached halls, passing countless identical white doors, gazing at each number that was etched in. It took her a while, but she finally found the room she was looking for.

She knocked quietly, and poked her head in. Sai was up, out of bed, sitting on the windowsill, sketchbook in hand. He looked up at her as she came in and sat on the freshly made, colorless sheets.

"So," she said. "How are you feeling?"

He said nothing, but looked back down at his work. He held up his book and looked back at Sakura. "What do you make of this?" he asked.

She glanced at his drawing. It was really quite accomplished. It was the view of the Hokage's tower from the hospital, with every detail sketched in, every shadow in the right place. The stone faces were in the background, their expressions just right. Even the odd bird in the sky was placed in his illustration, looking very tiny compared to the rest.

"Pretty good," she said simply.

Sai smiled---but by now, Sakura knew every smile was fake.

She sighed, and Sai turned back to the window. "How's the search going?" he asked casually.

She looked up in surprise. She didn't think he ever really cared about what happened to Naruto, one way or the other.

"Not so great," she replied miserably. "There's still no news."

"Well, they'll eventually see he has no----"

"Sai!"

His comment was interrupted by Yamato, who came into the room.

"You're…..err….._wanted_," he said, glancing at Sakura hesitantly.

Sai nodded, hopped down from the windowsill, and quickly walked out the door.

"Is he really alright?" she asked Yamato worriedly.

But, to her surprise, he laughed. "Yeah," he said. "He'll be fine. He's a tough kid."

Sakura seemed unconvinced. "So, anything yet on your friend?"

She looked up again, this time surprised by his honest curiosity.

"No," she mumbled, looking away. "Not yet."

"Well, don't worry so much. He's a tough kid, too."

Sakura was stunned. He had never heard Yamato praise Naruto in any way before. But when she turned to say something, he was gone.

* * *

He strolled down the familiar hallway, staring at the bare wooden walls, cracked with age, but not really seeing them. One light bulb hung from the ceiling, its dusty form giving off an eerie reddish glow, casting odd looking shadows that jumped out at him as he rounded the corner. The floor beneath his feet was smooth and fairly clean, for people rarely walked this way. There was only one room, with the occupant long since deceased. That's why he was so surprised to see that the door to that very room was open.

Tobi peeked into the bedroom. It was dark, and already a thin layer of dust was beginning to cover the objects inside it. There was a bed, littered with all kinds of blueprints for various devices and puppets. A large desk was off to the right, with different vials and containers scattered across it. The wooden floor was, at one point, bare, but now it was covered in papers, parts, and all kinds of different things. There was only one picture, on the drawer beside the bed. It was of a young couple; a red haired man, and a dark haired woman, holding a baby in her slender arms.

Tobi's gaze wandered to the tall figure crouched down on the floor, rummaging through some old cabinets.

"You know, I don't think Sasori-sempai would like it if he knew you were in his room," Tobi said.

The figure sprang up in surprise. "Shit, Tobi! Don't do that!" Kisame glared at him for a minute, then bent down again and continued to search through the cupboards.

Tobi leaned against the door frame. "So, what exactly are you doing?"

Kisame sighed, realizing Tobi wasn't going to just go away. "If you _must _know, I'm looking for Sasori's poisons."

"Poisons?" Tobi repeated. "Why?"

"None of your fricken' business!" Kisame snapped. "Ah ha!" He straightened up, holding a small bottle with a light colored liquid. On it was a label, written in elegant, flowing script that said _Jinchūriki only_, and underneath that, another label that said _Kyuubi_. He smiled, satisfied with his find.

"What? What is it?" Tobi bounced over to Kisame to see what it was, but Kisame held up his hands.

"Hey, hey! I'll tell you, just calm down, ok?" He looked around quickly. "You know I'm not really supposed to be here."

Tobi nodded quickly. "Ok well, you know how the Kyuubi has this weird healing power?"

He nodded again.

"Well, whenever I hit the boy---

"Naruto."

Kisame stared at Tobi. "What?"

"The 'boy'. His name is Naruto."

Kisame sighed loudly. "Whatever. Anyway, his wounds would start to heal automatically. That really bugged me. So I thought; what if something could stop that?

"Then I remember Sasori's poison storage."

Tobi gasped. "So you thought….."

"That maybe Sasori made a poison to counter the Kyuubi's 'abilities'," Kisame finished.

Tobi whistled quietly. "Did he?"

Kisame held up the vial triumphantly. "Yep."

"But, what _is _it?" Tobi asked, leaning in to get a closer look.

"How the hell should I know? I'm just hoping it'll do the job. Now I just need to see if he left some instructions or something. He's so damn disorganized!" Kisame shook his head in exasperation. "I can't find anything!"

"Well, I hope you don't get struck by lightening or something for going through Sasori-sempai's stuff." With that, Tobi turned and left.

Kisame scoffed, and knelt down to continue his search. _Struck by lightening, yeah right_, he thought.

No sooner had the thought crossed his mind when there was a loud _crack _outside, followed by a brilliant flash of light, illuminating the abandoned room.

Kisame jumped, and whipped his head around to glare out the window, heart racing. Down the hall, he could hear Tobi's loud, crazy laughter.

"I told you so, didn't I?" Tobi yelled, still laughing.

Kisame grit his teeth together. "I hate that kid so much."

* * *

**Sorry about the rather long wait! Updates will be slow, due to school, and slower if I don't get any reviews!**

**Anyways, I guess you could call this chapter the comic-relief-filler-chapter. I know, I know, I'm sorry! Next chapter will be...not so fillerish**

**So, reviews appreicated! Constructive criticism encouraged!**

**_SNK_**


	6. One Step Closer

**_

* * *

Well, here it is, finally, chapter 6! Hope it was worth waiting for!_**

**_Disclaimer: You know the drill_**

* * *

_Chapter Six:_

_One Step Closer_

"So when are we leaving?!"

Sakura stood in front of the Hokage's (new) desk. Tsunade was careful with her words this time, not wanting to put in for another new table.

"Soon," Tsunade said. "We're going to send a team out with you, Sai and Kakashi. But—"

"Who?" Sakura cut her off hastily.

Tsunade sighed. "Yamato will be rejoining you, along with a small team of ANBU Black Ops."

Sakura stared at her. "That's it?" she asked in disbelief.

"That's all I can afford to send at the moment. I realize it's not much, but it will have to do."

Sakura wasn't convinced.

It had been three weeks since Naruto was taken, and Sakura had been going crazy the whole time. Despite Kakashi's efforts to distract her, and Sai's half-hearted attempts to make her feel better, Sakura's thoughts never drifted from Naruto. Who knows what Hell he was facing at this very moment, while she was safe in the village? She often wondered what was happening to him, where he was, if he was frightened.

She walked around in a haze. People on the street would wave and greet her, but most of time, she didn't even notice. Her thoughts spun widely, with a mixture of worry, anxiety and guilt. Every day, she went to see Tsunade, each time asking if anything had come up, and each time, the answer was the same.

Until today.

Today was different. Tsunade had managed to gather a small team of shinobi, which she was planning to send out in four days time.

"Four days?!" Sakura exclaimed. "That's too long! What if….?" she trailed off, unwilling to voice her concerns.

Tsunade sighed, and leaned back in her chair. "I know," she said softly. "But they need to rest and prepare for the upcoming battle. This isn't some small-time operation. This is the _Akatsuki _we're talking about. A group of S-class criminals and rouge shinobi. I don't want to see anyone get killed, so I think it is best we take some time to get organized."

She looked at Sakura sternly. "You too. How long have you actually slept these past few weeks?"

Sakura looked down guiltily. Sleep was rare for her, and when it did come, it was quick and restless.

"I thought as much." Tsunade leaned over her desk. "Not only that, but we need to send a recon team out beforehand to actually _find _their hideout. But we have some new leads, and hopefully they will be able to sniff them out. So go home, rest up, do some reading."

Sakura was about to protest—she didn't want to go home— when they suddenly heard shouting from outside the room. Tsunade always had two ANBU guards stand outside her door. It was standard protocol, though people rarely tried to see the Hokage by force. But now the guards were experiencing the odd hostile person, unwilling to wait for Tsunade to be free.

"You can't go in right now. Tsunade-sama is currently in a meeting, come back lat—"

There was a loud _thump_, followed by the sound of a body falling heavily to the ground.

"Hey….!" They could hear the second ANBU rushing towards the intruder, but was defeated in the same manor as the first.

The door flew open, and a tall figure stepped in, breathing quickly. Her long indigo hair flew around her, looking flawless in the afternoon light. Behind her, the two ANBU were unconscious, one on his back, the other face down on the floor. She looked around the room with her clear eyes, until she finally found the stunned face of the Fifth Hokage.

Tsunade stared wide-eyed at the person would had just taken out two ANBU in less than thirty seconds. They weren't the best, but they were still ANBU.

"H-Hinata?" Tsunade stuttered.

Hinata walked quickly to Tsunade and slammed both hands on the desk, which broke in half yet again.

"I heard you were forming a team to find Naruto-kun." Hinata said. "I want to come, too!"

This was so out of character for Hinata, and it took Tsunade a minute to fully recover from the initial shock. She then shook her head and said, "I'm sorry, Hinata, but we've got a full team already. I'm afraid it's too late to add anyone else."

"No!" Sakura shouted. All eyes turned to her. "I mean, we could use someone like Hinata on this team. Her Byakugancould prove useful." _And she cares about Naruto more than anyone_. Sakura saw how determined Hinata was to go with them, and it wouldn't hurt to have another girl in the group.

Tsunade sighed. "I suppose you're right. Alright, Hinata, you can go with them." _As long as you pay for a new desk_, Tsunade thought bitterly. But Sakura was right; Hinata's Byakugan would help them a great deal in the field. She just wasn't sure if Hinata was ready for that kind of field work.

"Alright then, go get ready, and meet at the gate in four day's time." When neither of them made a move to leave, Tsunade said, with more force, "Go!"

The two kunoichi jumped, and quickly turned to leave. Sakura shut the door behind them, hitting one of the unconscious ANBU in the head.

Shizune was still surprised by Hinata's random burst of violence. "Wow, Tsunade-sama! Who would have thought that quiet, little Hinata has that much power?"

Tsunade nodded. "Yes, it was very surprising. They'll make a good team."

Shizune looked at the Fifth in confusion. "Who?"

"Sakura and Hinata. They both care for Naruto very much." Tsunade rested her head in her arms on the broken desk. She closed her eyes and said softly, "We'll see him soon."

* * *

Sakura and Hinata walked down the street in an awkward silence. They had never really conversed in the past, and now here they were, each one thinking of something to say. Finally, Sakura braved the stillness and asked, "What made you want to come with us?" 

Hinata looked away shyly. "I-I heard about Naruto-kun….and how he was…..taken­—" Her voice broke on the last word. "And I w-wanted to help….get him back…before..." She trailed off sadly.

Sakura looked over at the other girl. Hinata looked up as Sakura said, "Don't worry, Hinata. With our combined strength, we'll kick some serious ass." She smiled, with faith and happiness she didn't feel.

Hinata looked away, not believing that she could do anything to save Naruto.

Sakura sensed her under confidence. "Hinata," she said, putting a hand on her shoulder. Hinata looked over, and then Sakura wrapped her arms around her, sharing her pain and loss. "We'll find him," Sakura said. "We'll bring him back."

Hinata was shocked at first, but then she returned the hug, and smiled.

_Yes, we will._

* * *

Kisame sat on the floor in the abandoned room, legs crossed, back against the bed, brow furrowed as he read the complicated instructions. He sighed and threw the paper aside. "You know what? Screw it," he said to himself. 

After some furious searching, Kisame had finally managed to find the instructions to the poison in Sasori's room. But the only thing he had really figured out from it was not to put it in a microwave. "That much I could have figured out on my own," he mumbled. He sighed again, and then smirked. "Oh well. Guess I'll just have to wing it."

"So, did you figure it out yet?" said a voice from the top of the bed. Kisame jumped up in surprise and turned to face the culprit.

"DAMMIT, TOBI! DIDN'T I TELL YOU NOT TO DO THAT?!"

Tobi was sprawled on his stomach on Sasori's bed, looking at Kisame innocently---or at least, as innocent as he could look behind a mask.

"What? I was just wondering how your search was going," he said in a mockingly hurt tone.

"How long have you been sitting there?" Kisame demanded.

"A little while," Tobi confessed.

Kisame muttered to himself about stupid freaking idiots sneaking around, then turned his back on Tobi and left.

"What? Now you're pissed because I keep sneaking up on you?" Tobi called as Kisame left.

"No, I'm pissed because you're a dumbass who keeps turning up wherever I am," Kisame said under his breath.

He set off in the direction of Naruto's prison cell, his hand closed around the small vial in his pocket. _Well, _he thought, _Sasori won't mind if I use this, as long as I don't put it in a freaking microwave_. _And I suppose the whole being dead part helps_.

He arrived at Naruto's cell, and was very surprised to see Itachi leaning against the wall next to the door. Kisame walked up to the entry and stuck his master key in the lock. "What the hell are _you _doing here?" he asked Itachi.

"Waiting," was his simple reply.

"No shit," Kisame said under his breath. "Waiting for what?" he said, louder this time.

"For you to come open the door," Itachi said patiently.

"Why?" Kisame asked in confusion. "Don't you have your own key?"

"Yeah."

"Then why….?" Kisame sighed in exasperation. _Why do I even bother?_ "Ok, whatever."

Kisame picked up Samehada, which was still propped up against the wall, and unlocked the door. As he walked in, he turned to see Itachi still leaning against the wall.

"Are you coming in?" Kisame asked, frustrated.

"No," Itachi said.

"What the….?" Kisame gritted his teeth. "Fine, then. Don't come in." With that, Kisame shut the door, a little harder than necessary, muttering about stupid know-it-all partners.

Naruto was where he always was, lying on the floor, his wrists and ankles in chains. He stared at Kisame blankly, knowing what was coming next. Although Kisame came in daily, there were very few wounds left from previous "sessions." The Kyuubi's power was astonishing, even in a simple human vessel.

But Kisame was going to change that.

Kisame was feeling rather agitated from his encounters with Itachi and Tobi, so he couldn't wait to vent out his anger on the Jinchūriki.

He set Samehada aside, and drew a kunai. Naruto watched without interest; he was beyond the point of caring what happened anymore. Kisame took out the vial, and placed a drop of the liquid on the knife. He wasn't sure what he was expecting to happen, but the kunai didn't look any different. He shrugged, then grabbed Naruto's leg and made a long cut down the side of his flesh. Naruto cried out in surprise and pain.

Again, nothing spectacular happened at first. The familiar red chakra flared up around the wound, as it always did with his injuries. But as it touched the wound, the fox's chakra suddenly disappeared, like a light that was suddenly snuffed out. Kisame raised his eyebrows. Though it wasn't exactly a huge light show, it was enough to make Kisame want to try again.

This time, he dipped the whole knife into the tiny vial. He drew it out and cut the other side of Naruto's leg. He gasped in pain, and it was worse than before. Naruto instinctively drew his legs back to his body, wrapping his arms around himself protectively.

Kisame laughed. "It _does _work!" He took another slash at Naruto, forgetting to put more liquid on the knife. _Damn, _he thought, waiting for the red chakra to flare up. But it didn't; nothing happened as Naruto sat huddled against the wall. Kisame frowned, and reached over to pick up Samehada. He then dumped half the contents onto the sword. Naruto whimpered.

He slashed again at Naruto, who tried to move out of the path of the sword, but he wasn't fast enough. Samehada cut through Naruto's side, leaving a bloody smear on the floor. Naruto cried out as his skin was ripped open, and without the Kyuubi's chakra to restore him, he was at the mercy of Kisame. He clutched his side and lay trembling on the ground.

Kisame grinned wickedly. _Yes, _he thought. _Perfect. Guess Sasori had his moments_.

He tried again; this time aiming for Naruto's other leg. He made contact quickly, and he watched as Samehada's unique blade ripped Naruto's leg to ribbons. But to Kisame's surprise, the red chakra did flare up, not to heal the wound, but to shoot out at Kisame. It hit the Kirigakure ninja in the knee, making him stumble and he backed away. He stared at the boy, puzzled by this new turn of events. Then it dawned on him.

_Side affects_. Kisame realized how, since the Kyuubi's chakra wasn't healing the wounds, it was simply building up inside of Naruto. It needed a new way to relieve the built up power, so it lashed out violently.

But it wasn't finished. Another large line of red chakra came flying at him. Kisame jumped out of the way just in time, landing on his knees. The chakra struck the stone wall instead, leaving a large hole. Kisame scrambled to his feet and ran to the door. He fumbled with the handle, and in a panic he wrenched it open, ran outside, and slammed the door behind him in time to hear a loud _thump_ as chakra met steel.

Itachi looked over at him, shooting him a skeptical look.

_Was he leaning against that damn wall the whole time? _Kisame's breathing was labored. "What's with that look?"

Itachi moved away from the wall. "Well, I was just about to get you, anyway. We have a meeting. Stats report."

Kisame straightened up. "Why? Can't we just tell them when we're ready?"

Itachi shrugged. "'Guess not," he said simply.

Kisame rolled his eyes as they walked.

"So," Itachi said, with honest curiosity, "what happened? Sounded like you were throwing chairs in there or something."

"Oh, shut up," Kisame snapped.

They continued in silence, passing many doorways, some unfamiliar even to the two more experienced Akatsuki. Soon they came to the large room with the statue, with Pein sitting at the top, using his usual form of astral projection.

"So?" Pein said expectantly.

"Not yet." Itachi said before Kisame could open his mouth. "He's surprisingly strong."

Kisame sighed. _Yeah, thanks Itachi. I didn't want to speak for myself anyway_.

But, to their surprise, Pein seemed content. "Alright then," he said simply.

Kisame looked at their leader. What he wanted to say was, "What? No temper tantrum?" But he decided against that. So he went with, "that's it?"

Pein smirked—or at least, Kisame think he smirked. It was hard to tell.

"Let's just say I have more in mind for that boy."

* * *

Naruto was standing in the middle of the cell, stunned by what had just happened. After Kisame had fled the room, the fox's chakra continued to spill out, smashing the walls around him. There were large dents everywhere, and the floor was littered with small stones from the walls. 

Naruto backed into one of the corners and sat down. He put his head in his hands. _What was that? What just happened? _His wounds still burned from Kisame's strange poison, but he ignored that. He looked up at the destruction around him, not wanting to believe _he _caused so much damage.

He drew his knees to his chest, but then immediately spread them out again. The wound on his leg burned, and he grit his teeth together to keep from crying out.

He felt himself slipping into his familiar form of unconsciousness, but this time he didn't fight it. This time he let the darkness take him.

* * *

Tobi sat in Sasori's room, in the same place Kisame left him. He was sitting on Sasori's bed, legs crossed, with the instructions to the poison in his hands. Under his mask, he was frowning. They really _were _complicated. 

Then he realized something. He looked closely at the paper to confirm it, and sure enough, it was true. He laughed as he threw the sheet across the room.

"I wonder if I should tell him he was looking at it upside down." Tobi thought for a minute. "Nah," he decided. "He'd just get mad."

* * *

**Yay! Chapter 6!**

**And I realize that Tobi's attitude doesn't really fit the mood, but come on! It's Tobi! What do you expect?**

**Anyways, reviews appreicated! Constructive criticism encouraged! **

**_SNK_**


	7. Downfall

**Wow, it's been a while, sorry! School and such has kept me really busy (not to mention the lack of insperation) Hope I still have some of you faithful readers!**

**Disclaimer: Yes, I own everything. NOT! I own nothing!**

* * *

_Chapter Seven_

_Downfall_

"_You know what would be amazing?" he said, looking up at the cloudless night. "What if it started to rain, but there were no clouds? And then a shooting star would fly across the sky," he waved his over the star lit sky, as if to imitate a possible shooting star. "It would fly through the rain, in front of the moon, and we would have a night rainbow!"_

_She giggled, and smacked his arm playfully. "Oh, Naruto-kun, you know that could never happen!" _

_Naruto looked down at her and grinned. "Well, not with that attitude, Hinata-chan" he said lightly._

_As they settled down deeper into the dark green grass, a slight breeze picked up, gently ruffling the grass on the flat terrain. There was grass as far as the eye could see; no trees, no animals, or any kind of civilization. And that was exactly the way they wanted it._

_They lay on their backs; Naruto had his hands behind his head, looking at the bright, twinkling stars, and Hinata put her head on his chest. Naruto dislodged one of his hands and put it around her. Together they sat and watched the stars blink in the darkness. _

_Hinata turned her head to face him, and then gazed back up at the sky. "I wish we could stay like this forever," she said quietly. "It's so peaceful here, and we're safe…together."_

_Her words puzzled him, but he decided not to question her. "Me too, Hinata-chan," he agreed, "me too…"_

_Then suddenly, the stars were gone; not as if they had been snuffed out like a candle, but as if they were never there in the first place. The sky grew darker, if possible, and the grass became hard stone floor. _

_And Naruto was alone when he woke._

His eyes snapped open, and the dirty ceiling was there to greet him. The dream stayed with him for a moment, but soon, it slipped away, along with any other coherent thoughts. He got up off the floor stiffly, rattling the chains that bound him as he did so. He struggled to awake fully, his mind and body still groggy.

He could feel himself slowly breaking down, and each passing day it all became harder to cope with; the thoughts, the dreams, and the nightmares. But now, it was hard to differentiate between them.

He slid against the wall and rested his head on the stone. _I don't understand_...

* * *

They stood in front of the gate, all nine of them: Hinata, Sai, Yamato, Sakura, and the five ANBU whose code names Sakura had already forgotten. Yamato, of course, was captain of the squad. They stood in a little group outside the village, with Yamato at the front. 

"Well," he said, adjusting the pack he carried, "are we ready to set out?"

Sakura hated how he talked as if they were simply running some small errand. She couldn't understand how no one else looked nervous—though she was with Sai, who never expressed anything, and five ANBU, whose faces were always hidden—while she was on the edge of the world. But maybe it was because, after the weeks of anticipation and worry, they were finally doing something other than just waiting.

She looked over at Hinata, standing beside her, and then realized how tense she looked. Sakura reached over and squeezed Hinata's hand in comfort. Hinata turned her head and smiled worriedly back.

"Alright then." Yamato answered his own question. "Let's go."

When there were no objections, he turned started down the road. The group followed him, Sakura and Hinata in the led, followed by Sai, with the ANBU in the back. After a few minutes, they broke into a run, and turned into the forest.

_Hang on, Naruto. We're coming._

* * *

Itachi shut the heavy metal door behind him, cutting off Kisame's view. Kisame groaned. "You know, after a while, this just becomes boring and repetitive." 

"That's only because you refuse to go back in there after last time." Itachi said with a smirk.

Kisame grit his teeth together. "You're never gonna let me forget that, are you?"

"Probably not," Itachi agreed.

Ever since Kisame had tried the poison on Naruto, he didn't dare go back in. He had experienced another small portion of the Kyuubi's power, and he didn't want to see any more. Although, as Itachi pointed out, he didn't have to use the poison anymore, but then what would be the point of their "sessions"? The wounds wouldn't last long enough.

"You do realize," Itachi said, interrupting Kisame's flashback, "that I can't be the only one weakening him. It will take too long."

Kisame sighed. "Yeah, yeah, I know." He groaned in defeat. "How about this; I'll try it again tomorrow, and if I die, I'll have Tobi follow you around for a month."

"But you'll be dead," Itachi pointed out. "How are you going to get anyone to do anything?"

"I'll tell him in advance," Kisame growled.

* * *

Pein was exactly where they left him, where he always was: sitting on top of the statue, his digital image flickering in the dim light. 

He looked down at the pair, and Kisame was doing his best not to look too annoyed. _This is really starting to bug me_, he thought.

"They're coming," was all Pein said to them.

Itachi nodded his understanding, while Kisame looked between them, confused.

"Er….someone care to explain?" Kisame said, miffed at being left out.

"Shinobi are coming from Konoha, for their dearest Naruto-kun." Itachi sighed. "I suppose we need to fight them?" Itachi was tired from using his Sharingan, but he was pretty sure he could fend off anything his old home threw at him.

But, to his surprise—and Kisame's—Pein replied with "No, we won't fight."

Kisame was momentarily stunned, while Itachi kept his face carefully composed. "Why the hell not?!" Kisame yelled, forgetting for a moment just who he was talking to.

Pein's head snapped towards Kisame, glaring at him. "I said _we_ won't fight." Pein might have smiled, but no one could really tell. "But _you_," he continued slowly, "you will."

* * *

It had only been a few hours, but it felt more like a few years. They moved swiftly and silently through the dense forest and its thick trees that blocked out most of the sunlight. They had switched their positions during the journey; two ANBU members had been posted at the front of the group, the other three in the back. They never broke formation, and never said a word. Sai had followed behind the first two, with Sakura and Hinata behind him. Yamato was the only one who moved around; for the most part he was at the front with the ANBU, but occasionally he would drop back to run with Sai, or the ANBU in back. No one had spoken; everybody was wrapped up in their own thoughts. 

Sakura waited until they were well into the forest before she broke the silence. "Where is this place, anyway?"

Yamato slowed until he was beside Sakura, keeping pace with her. "Surprisingly, it's not too far away from the village. We don't know much about it, and it will probably blend in with the rest of the forest, so keep your eyes open."

"How much longer, do you think?" Sakura noticed how Hinata came in a little closer to hear.

"Shouldn't be too much farther…a day maybe, two if we stop."

Sakura nodded, relieved. She had been expecting a week long journey, and wasn't looking forward to it.

"So," she said casually, wanting to keep the conversation going, "are the ANBU always so…"

"Quiet?" Yamato laughed. "Yeah, pretty much. They're supposed to be, though."

"But, why?" Sakura didn't know much about the ANBU Black Ops; the descriptions in her books were never very detailed.

"Well," Yamato started, looking up at the trees around him, "I suppose you could call it their 'nature'. They're trained to fight, not be social. You could compare them to a lion; hell of a fighter, but pretty boring otherwise." He smiled down at Sakura. She nodded, not really understanding, but decided not to press the issue.

The light was fading, so Yamato called them to a stop. They set up a small camp, with two fires; one for the five ANBU, and one for the rest. Sakura sat next to Hinata by their fire, glancing over at the ANBU every few minutes. They might have talking, but it was impossible to tell.

She looked to Yamato, unable to resist asking questions. "What are they talking about over there?"

Yamato looked over at the black ops, and shrugged. "I have a good idea, but if I told you…"He stopped, and seemed to rethink his joke. "Well, I guess I'm in too far to give you my opinion, because I might be right." He laughed quietly.

Sakura just stared at him. _Yeah, real helpful,_ she thought.

Yamato noticed her frustration, but he knew it had little to do with the isolated ANBU Black Ops.

* * *

The next day they were on the move as dawn broke. As beautiful as the sunrise was, nobody stopped to admire it. 

After the fires were put out and covered with sand, their things packed away, they set off once again into the forest, where they traveled for a good part of the day.

It was just as quiet as it was before, but this time, it was a tense silence. They all knew they were close to their destination, but nobody knew what it looked like. Someone could have smacked into it without knowing.

But then Yamato and the ANBU abruptly changed course, breaking away from the forest and landing in a small open patch of grass. Sakura, Hinata and Sai jumped down with them, landing softly next to their captain.

"Alright men," Yamato said, "and women," he added, looking over his shoulder, "we're a little ahead of schedule, so good work. From what I've been told, we're close to the Akatsuki's location. If I'm right, it's probably protected by some serious Genjutsu, so look closely, look hard, and look _everywhere_!

"But when you think you've found a possible doorway, double check, and triple check, whatever! Make sure you're in the right place. We don't want everybody running out of chakra from shouting _kai _at a tree for an hour. Now go!"

They scattered, searching for the hidden entrance. Sakura was growing impatient, but she had to force herself to calm down and search carefully. She wouldn't be any help if she missed the doorway.

It was a solid hour and a half of searching before someone cried out. "Here!" It was one of the ANBU, the only female of them. She wasn't too far away from Sakura, who was the first one to reach her.

The door itself wasn't very spectacular; it was a tree from one angle, but with the Genjutsu gone, it was an archway leading to darkness in front of a giant, stone cave.

Sakura just stared for a moment. Yes, it was an actual _cave_. Like ones that animals would sleep in.

They all looked in, but it was impossible to see anything. The darkness covered the walls like a blanket, so it was pointless to look.

Yamato called them farter away from the entrance to brief them on the plan. "They've probably already sensed our arrival, so we should be extra careful." Yamato looked to the ANBU. "You should go in first, to make sure it's safe enough for the rest of us to continue."

They nodded, then scattered. Yamato then turned to Hinata, Sakura, and Sai. "There will most likely be a fight, so be prepared."

It was silent for what seemed like hours, until one of the ANBU came back. "Well?" Yamato addressed him.

"Nothing, sir," the ANBU said, with a touch of surprise audible in his voice. _Must be new,_ Sakura thought. The ANBU continued, "It's completely empty. There's nothing, no one."

Yamato frowned, puzzled. "You're sure?"

The ANBU nodded. Yamato still seemed unsure, but he once again turned to Sakura, Hinata and Sai and said "Alright then, move in!"

They moved as one, and were soon swallowed by the darkness.

The inside of the cave was unspectacular; the walls made of crumbling, gray stones, as was the ceiling, but it still maintained a sturdy structure. As they ran, they encountered no lights of any kind, kicking up dirt from the floor.

Sakura noticed something on the wall, and then stopped. Yamato stopped almost simultaneously; they shared a look, then nodded.

"Genjutsu," they said together. Yamato and Sakura had both noticed how they passed the same crack in the wall a good three times.

Yamato made a hand sign and said softly, "_kai,_" then touched the wall closest to him.

The group was immediately hit with light. It was a dim, yellowish light, coming from a single lamp attached to the north wall. In its new light, they saw the five ANBU Black Ops, on the floor, all unconscious. Beside them, smiling triumphantly, was Kisame.

"Well, hello there," he said smugly. "It seems you've finally figured your way out of the Genjutsu. Too bad, it was fun watching you run on the spot for ten minutes."

His smile turned into a smirk. "And it seems that you've met my own ANBU." As he said it, the ANBU which Yamato spoke to appeared from the darkness. It titled its head, then disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

"Amazing what you can do with shadow clones these days, eh?" Kisame chuckled. He picked up Samehada, which rested against the wall beside him, and began to unravel the wrapping which covered it. He looked up and smirked again. "I'll give you a hint: we only have one cell in this particular base."

Hinata and Sakura shared a look, which Yamato caught. "Go on!" he said. "Sai and I can handle him. You two go!"

Sakura nodded, but Hinata seemed unsure. After all, Kisame had just taken out five ANBU Black Ops on his own. She pulled on Hinata's arm. "It's ok," Sakura said quietly. "We need to find Naruto."

This seemed to snap Hinata out of her doubt, and she ran ahead of Sakura. The two of them went down the first hallway they found, a little to the right of the entrance where they originally came in.

They swiftly made their way down the first hallway, which was a brightly lit passage with many twists and turns. After passing door after door, Hinata stopped and turned to Sakura. "What are we looking for? How will know which door leads to him?"

Sakura shrugged. "I don't know, but we'll just have to keep going, and hopefully we'll know when we see it."

Hinata still looked worried, but they continued on. They came to many other joining hallways, but in the end, decided to stick to the original way they came.

It turned out to be a smart choice. Soon, the two came upon a large, beat up metal door, with an iron handle. They skidded to a stop, and shared a look. "That's a prison cell if I ever saw one," Sakura declared.

Hinata first tried to turn the handle, but it proved to be too strong. Sakura gathered up the chakra into her fist, and gave the metal a good punch.

It didn't give at first, and she had to try another three times before there was a large enough gap to fit through. Even then, the jagged metal which surrounded the hole tore at their clothes and scratched their skin.

Finally, the two kunoichi landed on the other side of the door, and were dumbstruck by the state of the room. The once smooth walls were now riddled with large cracks and holes, as if an immensely destructive force had lashed out at the rocks. The floor was littered with small stones which fell from the walls.

But as they looked around, they knew they were in the right room. There was blood on the walls, and little spots of red here and there on the ground. But it was in one certain area where the blood pooled, a large crimson mark against the darkness of the ground.

Sakura took in the condition of the room, and was horrified. Something bad had happened here, and by the looks of it, it happened more than once.

Another thing was certain: the room was empty.

* * *

**Chapter 7! yay! **

**Reviews appreciated! Constructive criticism encouraged!**

**So please review! Please!**

**_SNK_**


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